Dark House
by DelightfulSerf98
Summary: Hermione Granger - Muggleborn, brightest witch of her age, best friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, right? What happens when Hermione finds out she's a pureblood, a Parkinson to be exact? Follow Hermione as she finds love, true friendship, and where her loyalties lie. All rights go to JK Rowling. This is a rewrite, original was taken down.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so this is chapter 1 rewritten. I hopefully will have chapter 2 up within the next week. I'm planning on updating every other week. Reviews are greatly appreciated:) Honestly, they do help me write. I will take anything, but if you don't like it please give me constructive criticism and if you don't feel comfortable reviewing it, PM me:) All rights go to JK Rowling. Enjoy:)**

Hermione Granger wasn't a normal 16 year old girl, let alone a normal witch. She was muggleborn, best friends with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Ginny Weasley, and titled the "brightest witch of her age". She was well known and respected at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she, Harry, and Ron would be starting their sixth year and Ginny her fifth year.

On a hot summer day in July, Hermione and Ginny had decided to go get some coffee. Harry and Ron were off helping Fred and George out with their shop, so the girls decided to spend some time together.

"Hermione! Long time no see! How have you been?" Ginny asked while engulfing Hermione in a hug. She was about 5'7" in height, had fiery red hair with a tint of light brown that went down about halfway down her back, pale skin, and bright brown eyes. Ginny had a light bubbly personality, which Hermione adored.

"Ginny! You're squishing me! Haha, but I've been good. How's the family?" Hermione responded, getting out of her tall friend's grip. Hermione was a few inches shorter than Ginny, tannish skin, unruly curly dark brown hair that was always in a pony tail, and dark brown eyes that were always shining with happiness.

"They're good. We miss you, obviously, but we will take what we can get of you," Ginny said while as they sat down. "I still don't _understand_ what your parents don't like about the wizarding world. I mean, its not as though you, like, ignore the muggle world and your family."

"I know. I think they think that I forget all that they've done for me since I was a child and my muggle heritage. I won't, but I fit in the wizarding world better than I do here," Hermione responded. "They want me to leave _that_ world after I finish Hogwarts... Shows how much they really don't like _it_ ..." Hermione trailed off. She didn't want to have that conversation right now, not when she was supposed to be having fun with Ginny.

Ginny, sensing that Hermione wanted to talk about something different, changed the subject. "So, who do you think the new D.A.D.A. teacher will be?" With that, the girls had a whole afternoon of fun together.

Around 4:30, Hermione and Ginny walked back to the Granger's house. Laughing, they went inside and were about to go upstairs when Hermione's mother, Helen Granger, asked the girls to come in the living room. Sharing a look, they made their way and were shocked to see a man and a woman, in wizarding robes, sitting on the Granger's couch.

Awkwardly, Hermione stared at the couple in front of them and tried to figure out where she had seen their faces before. Before she could figure it out for herself, Ginny whispered discreetly in her ear, "Those are the Parkinsons, Hydra and Cepheus."

"Hermione, darling, it has been too long," the woman said.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, before I begin with the story, I want to thank you for the reviews and the PMs I received:) They encourraged me a lot and I am glad that you are enjoying Dark House so far:). Secondly, I want to thank LittleRedRidingHoody for constantly reading and rereading my chapters, answering all my qs I have about writing, and helping me become a better writer overall:). All rights go to JK Rowling. Enjoy!**

Hermione stared and stared at the couple in front of her, the Parkinsons. Before she could stop herself, Hermione blurted out, "Why are you here?"

Hydra, the woman, looked at Hermione and spoke with much authority, "Hermione, that is what people call you, right? Not Nicolette?" Hermione had a confused look on her face when Hydra said that. "We are here to take you home." She had piercing hazel eyes that held false warmth, a sharp oval face, straight dark brown hair that fell just below her chin, porcelain skin, and tight lips with too much red lipstick on them. She was wearing expensive looking jewelry and clothes. The man, who she assumed to be Cepheus had on nice tailored wizarding suit. He was very tall and had very very short hair that was slightly curly and a small mustache. He had sun-kissed skin and dark cold brown eyes that were staring her down. His face look had an oval but more rounded look to it, just like hers.

"Yes, I do go by Hermione. I am home. This is my home. What are you talking about?" Hermione said frantically. She didn't like what was going on. Ginny put a comforting arm on her shoulder and tried to lead Hermione to the couch. Hermione shook her off. "Will someone _please_ tell me what was going on?!"

"Ginny, I think it's time for you to go. This is something we need to discuss with Hermione as a family," Helen said trying to sound gentle.

"No, I want Ginny here. She is practically my sister, the only difference is our blood. Ginny is staying here," Hermione said with finality. She stared intently at the Parkinsons and her parents, her gaze not at all wavering. She figured whatever was going on was bad because the Parkinsons were here, and she would need a friend for whatever may happen.

"Fine. She can stay," Hydra said after a couple moments of intense silence. "Hermione, I'm not sure how to put this lightly, so I'll just say it. I am your birth mother and Cepheus is your birth father," Hydra started.

Hermione interrupted, "What? Are you being serious right now? Please tell me this is some practical joke!"

"You are our birth child. You have a twin sister, Pansy, that goes to Hogwarts and is in your year. She's a Slytherin," Cepheus added darkly. His voice was rough and Hermione was actually felt a little nervous to be around him.

"No, no no no no no. I am a Granger. I am Hermione Granger, brightest _muggleborn_ witch of her age, best friends with Harry Potter and the Weasley family. Not a Parkinson," Hermione said, trying to make them see reason.

The one thing Hermione hated in the world was not knowing what was going on. This was why Hermione enjoyed facts. They could be easily proven and there was a logical way to solve the problem. From where Hermione was standing, it could not be proven unless she agreed to take a blood test and there was no logical way to solve the problem.

"Mrs. Parkinson, when is Pansy's birthday?" Ginny asked quietly. Hermione stared at her trying to figure out what her red-haired friend was doing.

"Her birthday is September 19th, the same as her twin sister's," Hydra said stiffly. "I don't suppose you now want to see the St. Mungo's birth certificate saying that I have a daughter named Hermione now, do you? Because I can have Mero, our house-elf, bring them over."

"Yes, I would very much like to see them," Ginny said snapped back. "I want proof. All people know, or think they know, was deemed to be a rumor."

"Will _someone, anyone_, explain to me what is going on?" Hermione asked irritated.

"So, as I just said everything I know is from my parents talking about it 16 years ago," Ginny started, shooting the Parkinsons a dirty look. "My parents had to take Bill to St. Mungo's after he did accidental magic and made a light fall on his head. When they were there, Fred and George ran off and ended up in the maternity ward. Dad followed them, and there was a whole commotion going on. From the snippets he heard, there was a Parkinson child that had been taken. They ended up kicking him, Fred, and George out since they were doing a search, but they didn't tell them that. For months after that, dad tried to find out information about what happened but no news was ever available, " Ginny explained all in one breath. Hermione just stared at her.

"What? Ginny, you went from one thing to another too quickly to understand what you were saying. Please slow down and reexplain yourself," Hermione said. Just as Ginny was about to retell the story, Hydra stepped in.

"How about before we explain our side of what happened, we have our elf get the document?" Cepheus said. "Mero, come." A little house-elf appeared in the Granger's living room. "Mero, go to my office and get the birth certificate that is dedicated to the missing Parkinson daughter." A few moments later, Mero appeared with a document. Cepheus took it from the elf, dismissed him, and handed the certificate to Hermione.

The document read _Nicolette Hermione Parkinson_ with all the information Hermione knew to be true about herself. "If you cut yourself a little and let your blood drip on the paper, we can see if you truly are our daughter. If it glows gold, you are a Parkinson and will turn a brownish color if you aren't," Hydra said with forced kindness. Hermione went to the kitchen to get a knife to cut her hand a little.

"I really don't want to do this, but I have to in order to prove them wrong," Hermione thought as she slightly cut herself. She let the blood drop onto the sheet of paper. Instead of it turning brown like Hermione hoped, it had turned a bright gold. "O my word, it's true. There really was a missing Parkinson child," Ginny said as Hermione barely mustered a "What?" under her breath. She looked up at everyone in a confused daze.

Hydra, smiling obnoxiously sweet at Hermione just said in return, "As I said earlier, we are here to take you home, Nicolette. To your real home at Parkinson Manor."

Please Review:)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 is finally here! I want to thank LittleRedRidingHoody for constantly reading and rereading the chapters, and just for helping me:) All rights go to JK Rowling. Enjoy:)**

Hermione was in shock. She was in pure shock. "Something must be wrong. This isn't right. This... Don't call me Nicolette, that's not my name. Hermione is my name... this... this isn't right. It must be wrong," Hermione tried to convince everyone but mainly herself. There was no way in hell she was a Parkinson. "I have spent the last five years proving that a muggleborn witch could do magic and damn well at that. Suddenly its 'oh by the way, you are a purebloood,'" Hermione ranted quietly. She turned on to the Grangers. "Why didn't you tell me I was adopted?Don't just stand there looking at me, say something!" Hermione all but shouted. She wanted answers from both her biological parents and adopted parents, but she had spent 16 years getting to know the Grangers. She could feel all trust and respect for them drain as she waited for their response. Their story was more important than finding out the Parkinsons' at the moment.

"Yes, we did know you were adopted. Your father and I couldn't conceive a child so we went to the adoption agency. When we got there, an older gentleman with a beard handed us a blanket with a child in it. He handed us the baby and told us to keep her safe. We tried to figure out who he was but he gave us no name." Helen said tearfully. Hermione stared at her parents incredulously. Helen continued, "We went to the police to see if they had any leads. They searched for the man for about two months before they told us that they couldn't find him and you were going to the orphanage. We decided we couldn't let that happen to you, and we adopted you.

"We always knew something was different about you, you know. We had an inkling that that was the reason you were given to us. Over the years, we had just become good at pretending, ignoring that something was off. When you got your Hogwarts letter, we asked the teacher that came to tell us about _that school_ if she knew anything about a missing child case that happened in September of 1979. She gave us a strange look and told us that she heard a child had died, but not missing. We didn't bring it up to anyone after that, deciding that maybe it would be better for you not to live there permanently. But, your birth family is here and fate clearly had other ideas," Helen finished.

Hermione could feel everyone's eyes on her. "Hermione...?" Ginny called out to Hermione hesitantly. Hermione looked up and felt betrayed.

"Hermione, dear say something," Hydra said, moving towards Hermione. "Would you like your father and I to share our side of the story now?"

"What do you expect me to say? I have about a million thoughts going through my head, and you probably don't want to hear them," Hermione said cooly as she stepped away from Hydra. She looked around at everyone again, and slowly got up. "Before I hear anymore about _this_, I need to go and clear my head."

Hydra made a noise of protest, and got Hermione's death glare at her. "For 11 years I lived as a muggle and then was introduced to the wizarding world. I was pushed around, and looked down upon because of my muggleborn heritage. Forgive me for wanting to take time to absorb it. It's not everyday you find out that your twin sister is the girl that made my life hellish throughout the years," Hermione retorted. Everyone went quiet.

"Hermione... I know this isn't a good time, but my mum said that I need to be back at 3:30 and it's 4:00 now..." Ginny said. Hermione turned and gave the younger girl a hidden smile. Mr. and Mrs. Weasely had actually told Ginny that she could stay until about 7:00.

"Oh, yea! I had forgotten about that! Where did you want to meet them again?" Hermione asked, as she grabbed her car keys from the counter. "Was it the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Hermione, maybe Helen and Richard can drop her off and you can stay here and talk with us?" Hydra asked hopefully. Hermione responded with a violent shake of the head.

"Yea, that was the place... Thank you for letting me hang out with you..." Ginny said weakly as she left. Hermione followed her out the door and slammed it shut.

"Thank you for that diversion, Ginny. I don't think I could have stayed in there much longer... Ugh!" Hermione said as they drove.

"You are welcome. Honestly, it was getting really awkward for me since this is a family issue for you and I'm not that close with, well, either of your parents really," Ginny replied.

They drove for a while making small talk, but avoided the talk about what could possible happen to Hermione overall. When they got close to their destination, Hermione asked, "Can you not tell your family or anyone else about this? It's not that I don't trust you or anything, I just want to know everything for certain and would prefer to tell everyone slowly."

"Of course I can do that! I wasn't planning on saying anything anyway, but if they ask I can just say something came up with your family and you needed to get me home," Ginny said as Hermione pulled into a parking space. "Hey, you will be fine. Do not worry; you can kick Parkinson ass any day," Ginny said with a small smile. She was always the more optimistic one out of the two girls.

"Thanks, Ginny. And thank you again for not mentioning this. I will write you as soon as I know anything big or writing worthy," Hermione said tightly. She and Ginny hoped out of the car and gave each other a hug. They waved their goodbye's and Hermione took off again, taking every possible detour she could to avoid going back to where the Grangers and Parkinsons were.

Hermione arrived home and slowly made her way inside. She felt sick to her stomach with nervousness about what was going to happen and how everyone would react. She made her way to the sitting room where the adults were and sat down. She looked at Cepheus and Hydra and with a look in her eyes said, "Explain."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I want to thank LittleRedRidingHoody for helping me out constantly with Dark House:) All rights go to JKRowling. Enjoy chapter 4:)**

Hydra started to explain their side of the story,"You and Pansy were born on September 19, which was 5 weeks early. Pansy came out as a much stronger baby than you did; you were taken into immediate care because of how small you were. A few hours after you were taken, there was an issue outside of our room. Your father went out to see what happened and we found out that a child had been taken, you had been taken. The whole ward was on shut down for about 4 hours. Then a man with the name of Mendax came and said that you had died and he had taken you away. In the wizarding world it's common that if a baby dies before it's taken home, the parents don't get to take the child for burial. Our whole family was distraught. We mourned your death for many years," Hydra told Hermione.

"Okay, then how did you find me then if you believed that I was dead? I mean, you probably were able to figure that out a while ago," Hermione said tiredly. It had been, or still was a long day and Hermione had a gut feeling it wouldn't be ending any time soon.

"Pansy came home the summer after your first year complaining about a muggleborn girl that went by the name of Hermione Granger. Well, Hermione is an unusual name and it was your middle name so we decided to a closer look at it. Over the years, we did everything we could to pry information about you from Pansy without her suspecting anything," Hydra said.

"Why would it matter that Pansy suspected me as her twin? Didn't she know she had a twin sister who supposedly passed away in infancy?" Hermione asked.

"No, we never told her. Only your older sister, Rosie, knows. But, I can introduce you to your siblings later. Let me finish explaining. Actually, Cepheus can explain this next part. Helen, may I have tea?" Hydra replied turning to Mrs. Granger with a look of distaste in her eye. Helen gave a slight nod and went to the kitchen.

"I created a potion that would allow us to figure out if you were our biological child or not. We needed a sample of your hair, which seemed impossible to get until you presented the opportunity at the Ministry last year. You see, we told our suspicions to our close friends, Lucius Malfoy included. When he saw that you were there with Potter, he made sure to get a sample of your hair," Cepheus said. He had a deep, rough voice that gave Hermione the chills.

Hermione could remember though Mr. Malfoy coming up to her. She had been attacked by Dolohov, and he used a spell which caused her to freeze and black out. Before she blacked out, he had come up and took something off her. For weeks, Hermione had pondered and tried to figure out what he had taken from her before she finally accepted that she must've been hallucinating it.

Cepheus continued. "Before he had his, erm _downfall_, he gave me the vial containing your hairs."

"How was he able to contact you about me being there? Or being able to give you the vials? You weren't there if I'm remembering correctly," Hermione interrupted.

"It matters not how he was able to give me the vial, all that matters is that he did. I brought them home and put them in the potion; it was positive. We waited a bit to come get you, though," he explained. He became quiet for a moment.

"Why did you wait to find me? Why not come and find me right away?" Hermione asked irritated. She wanted to know what they knew about her disappearance and why they waited if they knew she was the child that "died" earlier.

"Does that really matter? I think that information is irrelevant," Hydra snapped, her pale face starting to turn red. "All that matters is that we are here now and are taking you home, Nicolette. Tonight."

"It is so relevant! It is about _me_! _And my name is not Nicolette it is Hermione!_ If you think for one _second_ that I am going home with you tonight, or at all, you are sadly mistaken," Hermione hissed right back in Hydra's face. Hermione and Hydra started glaring at each other, neither daring to break eye contact.

"Hermione, dear, it... it could be they wanted time for themselves to absorb this information... Before taking you home, " Helen said, trying to break the tension. Hermione turned and gave Mrs. Granger a questioning look. "Yes, you are going with them. Maybe we can try and compromise instead of you leaving with them tomorrow instead of tonight?" Helen looked at Mrs. Parkinson while putting an arm around Hermione. Hermione got out of her grasp.

"That could work... Your father and I can set up your room completely now," Hydra replied stiffly. She and Cepheus walked over towards the door. "We shall see you tomorrow then. Eleven work well for you?"

"Does Pansy know?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I beg your pardon?" Hydra asked, turning around sharply. Cepheus had continued on walking outside.

"I asked if Pansy, my twin sister, knows. I would hate to be there when she finds out I'm her twin. You see, we only semi-hate each other," Hermione said, laying the sarcasm on when it got towards the end. Hermione had a feeling that she would be using that tool often.

"No, we haven't told any of your other siblings yet either. We figured we would introduce you to the family at the same time," Hydra replied.

"Well, maybe you should tell them and give them one night to digest this information, like you are giving me. It would benefit all of us, I think," Hermione snapped while rubbing her head. She could feel a bad headache coming on.

"Hydra, let's go!" Cepheus's irritated voice called from outside. Quickly, Hydra said she would tell Hermione's siblings about her and left.

It was just the Grangers and Hermione left. Hermione looked at them, tears brimming in her eyes. She refused to let them fall until she made it to her room, where she cried and tried to make sense of the new world she would be joining.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, fellow readers! I want to thank the amazing LittleRedRidingHoody for all the help I've received:) All rights go to JK Rowling! Enjoy chapter 5:)**

As Hermione wiped the last of her tears away, she heard a pecking sound coming from her window. When she looked up, she saw two owls, Harry and Ron's owls , perched outside her widow. Quickly but quietly she got up, let them in, and gave them treats to keep them quiet. She took the letters off their legs (Ron's owl, Pig, containing two letters), and opened Harry's first.

_Hermione-_

_Ginny told us that something major had happened in your family, but you had asked not to say much more than that. What's going on? Are either of your parents sick, or relatives? Is there something going on with who your family is? It isn't like you, to keep secrets. I hate not being able to be there for you like a real friend should. A __**best**__ friend should. When you feel comfortable telling me what's going on, I will listen and help in anyway possible._

_-Harry_

Harry's letter was just how she expected it- quick and to the point. She could tell that Harry was really hurt and that bothered her. She went to go get paper and a pen to write him a letter, but decided to wait until after she read Ron's letter and the third letter.

_Hermione_

_Okay, so Ginny told us that there was a family issue and that was why she had to come home early and yea. She wouldn't go into too much detail, so that has Harry and I really worried. Please let us know soon what's going on. Harry and I don't leave you in the dark when we have stuff going on! _

_-Ron_

After reading Ron's letter, Hermione got out a pen and paper and wrote a very short letter to her two best friends.

_Harry and Ron-_

_I found out I'm Pansy Parkinson's twin. HELP!_

She sent the letter off with Hedwig, Harry's owl, and opened the third letter.

Hermione-

So, by now you will have sent a letter to Harry and Ron explaining the situation which I will have to intercept so that they don't do something entirely stupid and get you in trouble.

Trust me on that- I asked Dad "hypothetically" speaking, about a pureblood birth certificate that glowed when someone's blood was on it. He told me that it was an ancient pureblood custom, normally done the day before the child gets brought home. It sort of "sets up wards" around the house, and you. If you leave, the parents are summoned to wherever you are when you leave. Until it becomes obvious you are running away or the Parkinsons were to summon you that way, it won't be activated. So, trying to sneak away into muggle London wouldn't help you.

I also asked dad what he knew about the missing Parkinson child, just incase I forgot something or he learned something later. He knew only what I told you before. Rumors of a newborn being taken, baby ended up being dead. He was a bit curious as to why I was asking all these questions then you needing to send me home early, so I have a feeling he is putting two and two together.

As much as I hate saying this and the thought of sending you to Parkinson Manor, do not try to run away. It will be much much worse for you. Write if you need anything!

Ginny

Hermione sighed. She hated the thought of not being able to leave. Why was the wizarding world against her on this? There must be some way she could leave.

Hermione got up and walked over to her desk, sat down, and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. She decided the best way to handle this was to make a list of the pros and cons, not that there would be many pros.

**_Pros of going to Parkinson Manor _**

_\- Answers from the Parkinsons _

_\- Not getting caught running away _

_\- More answers_

**_Cons of going to Parkinson Manor_**

_-It's Parkinson Manor_

_-I don't know how "safe" it is_

_\- I'm not wanted there (obviously)_

_-I don't know them_

**_Pros of Running away _**

_\- Not at Parkinson Manor _

_\- The Weasleys/ Order will take care of me _

_\- I know I am safe _

_\- Dumbledore or someone in the Order will have answers _

_**Cons of Running Away**_

_-No guaranteed answers from anyone_

_-I could get caught_

_-I don't know what would happen if I got caught _

Hermione groaned and looked out the window, which showed a little light. The sun would be rising soon. Leaving wasn't worth the risk of being caught earlier, no matter how badly she wanted to leave. Reluctantly, Hermione made her way up to bedroom to attempt to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, fellow readers! Thank you so much for your reviews:) So, I finished chapter six early and decided instead of making you wait, I'd post it now! Enjoy! All rights go to JK Rowling:)**

Hermione awoke to someone shaking her gently and the smell of strong tea. She opened one eye and saw Mrs. Granger sitting on the bed with tea in one arm and her other arm on her back. "Morning, sweetie. Are you ready for today?" Helen asked gently, trying not to cry. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy. "You have about two hours before they get here. They requested that you take anything that is absolutely important to you. Nothing else," Helen said. She set the cup of tea down on the nightstand near Hermione's bed before getting up up and walking to the door. Just before she left the room, her adoptive mom said, "When you pack, don't forget this world will always be here for you."

Slowly and very reluctantly, Hermione got out of the comforts of her bed. She took a quick shower and got ready quickly so she could spend as much time packing- packing her valuables only.

Too many things were valuable - the pictures on the wall she had, the scrapbooks she and her mom had made, her movies and books. Everything in the room became valuable to her at that point. She would just have to pick which would be the most valuable, out of her muggle objects.

Anything wizarding would fit fine in her trunk, since it was already packed away. She grabbed the bag she put an extension charm on and packed all her knickknacks and photos. Hermione looked around her old room once more and spotted Crookshanks, her cat, and his carrier in the corner of her room. "Oh, Crookshanks, come here! How could I have possibly forgotten you?" Hermione whispered into the orange cat's fur. She opened his carrier and put him in. He meowed in response and tried to escape. "I'm sorry, Crooks, but you need to go in the carrier. We're moving to a new home."

"Hermione, Cepheus and Hydra are here to pick you up," Richard Granger said, opening Hermione's door. He went in and grabbed Hermione's trunk while looking around her room. "I see you've taken all your childhood photos, books, and knickknacks. Where are they? I would be extra gentle with them," he said as they left her room.

"I put them in my bag," Hermione replied as she held up her bag. "My books are in my trunk." The duo made it to the front door.

Cepheus and Hydra stood, looming at the front door. "Well, it took you long enough," Cepheus grumbled. "What's all that?" He asked, pointing to Hermione's bag, carrier, and trunk.

"My school stuff, my valuables, and my cat," Hermione replied stiffly.

Her biological parents stared at her for a moment or two before Hydra finally spoke. "Well, I guess I'll call Miti to come pick up your things. We will need to take you out shopping for some new robes, and a new trunk. Do you really _need_ a cat? An owl would be much more practical."

"I have no need for an owl - my best friends own owls so if I ever need to owl anyone I use one of theirs. I also find cats are much easier to take care of," Hermione started. Her patience with them was running very thin and they hadn't been there for more than 10 minutes.

A popping sound appeared from outside the Granger's house, and then a little house-elf appeared. "Miti is here to serve Missus and Mister Parkinson! What is Miti required to do today?" Miti said quietly, bowing down to Cepheus.

"Miti, take my daughter's trunk and bag and put it in her room. You do not need to unpack anything yet," Cepheus snapped as Miti took Hermione's trunk and bag. Hermione was about to fume at the way Cepheus treated the poor creature but he spoke before her. "We will be outside waiting for you. Be out no later than 10 minutes. We have a tight schedule for today." Cepheus and Miti left.

Hermione walked towards Helen and Richard, who embraced her in a hug. "I can't believe you are really going," Helen said. "I know you will do great things in the world, you are such an amazing young woman. I love you so much, sweetie. If you ever need _anything_, feel free to owl us." Richard seconded that.

"Thank you so much for everything. You are truly some of the best parents a girl could ever ask for. I love you both so much. I will be writing to you often," Hermione said, wiping away her tears. She didn't want to leave her childhood home, filled with so many memories. Hermione didn't want to leave Helen and Richard, mostly. They adopted her and raised her for 16 years. They were her parents, not Cepheus and Hydra Parkinson.

"Well, I guess it is time for us to be going. It's been nearly 10 minutes and we don't want to keep your father waiting any longer now, do we?" Hydra asked and she held her arm out to Hermione.

For a moment, Hermione considered not grabbing onto Hydra's arm but Helen nudged her arm. "Go. Go live a new chapter of your life." Hermione followed Hydra outside, one arm holding Hydra's and the other holding Crookshanks carrier.

Once outside, Cepheus offered Hermione his arm. Hermione reluctantly grabbed hold, and felt the uncomfortable sensation of side-apparation.

Once they landed, Hermione felt sick. Not from apparting, but from the looks of Parkinson Manor, if you could call it that. The three Parkinsons were standing outside an iron gate that surrounded the Manor. Quickly, Cepheus pulled out Hermione's birth certificate, held it up to the gate, and murmured a few incoherent words. The birth certificate grew gold (just like it did when Hermione put her blood to it), and the gate opened. "The spell your father used added your blood to the manor. It allows you into the manor without either of us, or your siblings," Hydra said as they walked through the gate.

It looked more like an ancient castle. It was obnoxiously tall, built of stone, and each corner had a tall tower. There was an old cobblestone path that led up to the front door, or what Hermione assumed was the front door. The door was tall, very tall, and above it was a clock.

"Welcome home, Nicolette," Hydra said, and for the first time Hermione thought she saw an actual smile upon that woman's face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! So, here is chapter 7:) I want to thank LittleRedRidingHoody for reading and rereading the chapters:) All rights go JK Rowling. Enjoy**

Hermione didn't bother to correct Hydra as she followed her biological parents through the wooden doors. She did not think it was possible for the inside of the house to be darker than the outside, but she was proven wrong. The walls were stone and lined with little lit candles, the only light in the hallway. In between each candle Hermione noticed that there was a portrait of either a Parkinson ancestor or a famous pureblood wizard (there were no witches). The floor was stone, but covered in a thin violet and gold carpet. There was an ancient chandelier hanging from the ceiling, its candles dimly lit.

"It's almost time for tea. Come, dear, we can go to the sitting room," Hydra said, leading Hermione down a myriad of different hallways that Hermione tried to remember. Finally, they made it to the sitting room.

The first thing Hermione noticed when she went in the sitting room was the darkness of the room. The walls were a dark stone texture, as were the floors. One wall was all window, not that the light from the sun did much to lighten the room. There was a fireplace fit for a King and Queen. In the center, there was a large gold cursive "P" surrounded by a royal blue - the Parkinson family symbol.

Hermione followed her mother into to the room where two teenage girls and one teenage boy sat. "Children, children, can I have your attention please?" Hydra asked. The youngest girl and boy snickered at their mother, while the older girl just stared at Hermione with anger. "This is your long-lost sister, Nicolette. She has been asked to go by Hermione, which is the name she has been using for the past 16 years. We had believed she died after she was born," Hydra started. She was speaking to them as though they were all five year old children and Hermione hoped to Merlin and back that Hydra wasn't always like this. With Hydra discussing the situation with her new siblings, Hermione turned her attention to figuring out who they were.

Hermione recognized the older girl as Pansy Parkinson, her nemesis at school and now her twin sister. She had brown hair that fell straight down her back, light hazel eyes, and the same pale skin their mother had. Pansy was staring at Hermione with pure hatred in her eyes. Hermione stared back, just as coldly before turning her attention to the teenage boy who had been watching the exchange between the two.

He had Cepheus' sun-kissed skin and height, light brown hair and dark brown eyes that were guarded. He was sitting down lazily in the chair with a smirk on his face. He was wearing what looked like some of most expensive wizarding robes London had. Overall, he looked very handsome. He held out his hand to let her shake and said, "I'm Lysander. You must be the 'long lost' Nicolette. Brightest witch of her age, eh?"

Hermione smiled tightly. Lysander seemed friendly enough, but she couldn't be 100% sure. As Alastair Moody aways said, "Constant vigilance." "Lysander, pleasure to meet you. I do hope you're doing well?" Hermione said with a bit of attitude that she didn't intend to have.

"I'm doing well, thank you. Have you met our little sister, Bryony?" He said gesturing towards the youngest girl sitting next to him. "Or our dear Pansy, your twin?" His eyes gleamed with amusement as he waited Hermione's reaction.

"Pansy and I go to school together, so yes we know each other. Bryony, no I haven't met her formally yet, but was about to do so before you interrupted," Hermione shot back. Turning her attention away from Lysander, she went to talk to Bryony.

"How are you?" Hermione asked kindly. Bryony had light tan skin, bright brown eyes, and curly light brown hair that fell just below her shoulders. Hermione thought she looked like she did when was about 11 or 12 years old, so Hermione assumed that was how old she was.

"I'm well, I'm well. I'm glad it's the summer. How are you?" Bryony said with a smile on her face.

"I'm alright, given the circumstances. If you don't mind me asking, what year are you?"

"Oh, I'll be starting my first year at Hogwarts this fall! I'm so excited to learn, I've already started studying!" Her eyes gleamed with happiness even more. Hermione couldn't help but smile. Bryony already reminded Hermione a bit of herself.

"Nicol-ehrm- Hermione, dear, why don't you take a seat? We can start tea and talking now," Hydra said, pointing to a seat near Pansy. Hermione glanced at the seat and walked over and found a seat next to Bryony instead. "Or you could sit there."

Not a moment later, the tea was brought out. Hydra poured the glasses and passed them around. "How do you take your tea?"

"Uhm, I'm fine, thank you." Hermione wasn't about to accept anything from them. She didn't trust them, not yet at least.

Lysander turned and talked to Hermione. "So, you are in Gryffindor, I hear? I didn't go to Hogwarts, I finished my last year at Durmstrang last year. What do you think about Hogwarts?," he said, the smirk still on his face.

"Yes, I am in Gryffindor house. I love it there, I've made amazing friends and it's just been a wonderful experience. Don't you hear about Hogwarts from Pansy?" Hermione responded. She was guarding herself a bit, not feeling entirely comfortable around them.

"Ahh, our dear Pansy," Lysander started with malice in his eyes.

"I tell him what he asks, nothing more," Pansy snapped. Her hazel eyes were growing darker and colder with each passing minute. She turned to talk to Hydra. "Mother, I just remembered that I promised Daphne that I would spend some time with her today," Pansy said sweetly to their mother.

"No, Pansy, you may not leave. I can see what you are trying to do," Hydra replied, sipping her tea.

"Where's Father at?" Lyansder asked Hydra calmly.

"He had to do something with Nott Senior. We will see him at dinner tonight," Hydra replied with a tone of finality.

"Does Rosalind know?" Bryony turned and asked Hydra.

"We wrote to her. I'm not sure when she will be home. She's planning her wedding, you know," Hydra replied. "Oh, dear. I forgot you don't know who Rosalind is, Hermione. Rosalind is your older sister, she's 20 years old and engaged to a rich French man named Christophe Sombe."

For the next hour, small talk was made amongst the Parkinson family. Most of it was question and answer, and a majority of the answers were one sentence long.

"Pansy, dear, why don't you show Hermione to her room? You room next to each other and share a bathroom, so it would be the easiest. Also, please help her pick out something for the dinner tonight," Hydra said once everyone had finished their tea.

Pansy violently grabbed Hermione's arm after having a silent conversation with Hydra. She dragged Hermione through many twists and turns until they reached a hallway that ended. One side had a window overlooking the Parkinson Manor grounds, the other side had two doors. Pansy turned and glared at Hermione a moment before speaking.

"You little bitch! I don't know why the hell Mother and Father felt the need to bring you here. We were perfectly content before, and now you are going to mess us up! You don't know what it means to be pureblood, all the responsibility and honor that comes with it!" Pansy seethed.

"You honestly think that I _want_ to be here?! I never asked for this to happen! This is a nightmare for me! I was raised for 16 years by a wonderful family. How do you think I feel? How would you feel if for 16 years you lived with a family, only to find you have been lied to and are forced to live with your biological family, who, by the way, _would like nothing more than to see you dead?_" Hermione snapped right back. Hermione knew she was being vicious, but at the moment she didn't care.

Pansy gave her twin one last dirty look, then went into the room farthest from Hermione. Assuming the other room was her bedroom, as Hydra had said that they roomed near each other, Hermione opened the door.

Hermione didn't know what she was expecting but whatever that was, it wasn't what she saw. The walls were dark grey, and lined with bookshelves, some empty and some not. One corner sat a vanity and mirror, both with a nice steel look to them, and another held a comfy looking white reading chair. Her bed was dark grey with a black and white zigzag pattern to it. There was a door that led towards her and her _darling_ twin's shared bathroom, and another one that led to her closet. She walked over to her closet, expecting it to be full of clothes. Instead, there were only a minimal number of robes. Hermione guess that Hydra wanted to go out shopping for her clothes.

Hermione walked back over to her bed and laid down. It was probably only 3 or 4 but Hermione was exhausted. She decided to try and take a little nap before dinner... Dinner. Hydra sent Hermione and Pansy up to get ready for dinner. Hermione considered going and asking Pansy for help. She quickly brushed that thought aside. Bryony could probably help!

"Mero?" Hermione questioned. She didn't want to disturb the poor house-elf, but she had no idea how to get around and had absolutely no idea where she would find Bryony.

"Missus called?" the little elf appeared with a 'pop'!

"Yes, uhm, would it be alright if Bryony came up here to help me get ready?" Hermione asked kindly. The elf shuffled uncomfortably.

"Well, erhm, Miss, Missus Hydra wishes that you and missus Pansy will get ready together, hopes that you will gets along better. She forbade Mero from bringing missus Bryony up to your room. Mero is truly sorry," Mero said sadly. Hermione went quiet for a minute.

"Mero, would you happen to know what would be appropriate to wear to dinner tonight?" Hermione hoped and prayed he would.

"No, Mero doesn't. Until Missus came, Mero was working in the kitchen."

Hermione went quiet. There was no way she would ask Pansy. Hermione went over to her closet again, this time looking closely at the robes that were hanging. There was a orangey-red robe, lime green colored robe, a few robes that were different shades of pink, and a midnight blue one that shimmered. Hermione went with the midnight blue one.

She put the robe on and fell in love with the way it complimented her. Hermione walked over to her vanity to apply her makeup and do her hair. Despite what everyone thought, Hermione did know how to do the basics of makeup. She opened up her vanity and was overwhelmed with all the wizarding makeup that as in there. Hermione walked over to her bag that she brought and grabbed her muggle makeup. She applied it lightly, but with enough that it was noticeable if one looked closely. Next, she had to deal with her unruly hair. Hermione tried different styles that Ginny had put her hair in before (after much begging on Ginny's part, obviously), but none of them seemed to want to work with her. In the end, Hermione put her hair up in a messy bun.

"Knock, knock, knock!" Lysander said, opening the door. "You clean up nice. Pansy help?" He walked into her room and sat down on her bed. "Interesting color scheme. I'm shocked you didn't go with red and gold."

"No, I did this all myself, thank you very much. As for the color scheme, I don't know, these colors just calm me. They're neutral, and not very bold. I'm guessing that magic allows me to choose how I want my room?" Hermione said calmly. "When are we leaving for dinner?"

"Yea, the only problem with that spell is it's only activated every 5 years, so you are stuck with this room for 5 years. And we are leaving now. Mother sent me to get you and Pansy. When I told Pansy we were ready to leave, she stalked off... Like the little bitch she is," he smirked. "Shall we?" Lysander offered her his arm. Reluctantly Hermione grabbed it and went downstairs. Hermione tried to memorize the route downstairs until her older brother advised her not to. "I'm taking you a different way than normal since we are meeting in Father's study."

"Mother, we are all ready now," Lysaander said as they arrived. Hydra looked pleased.

"Oh, Nicolette (Hermione rolled her eyes as Hydra called Hermione Nicolette), you look gorgeous! Absolutely stunning! Well, now that we are all here, we can go. I'll go first," Hydra said as she walked to the fireplace. Hydra hoped in, said "Greengrass Manor," and green flames engulfed her. Bryony and Lysander went. Pansy and Hermione were left. Pansy hoped in the fireplace and before she left, she said, "Keep your mouth shut tonight, and all will go smoothly... Greengrass Manor." Then it was Hermione's turn. She felt sick, everything suddenly becoming so real for her. This was her life now.

"Greengrass Manor," and the green flames danced around, and consumed her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here is chapter 8:) Again, a huge thank you to LittleRedRidingHoody and all rights go to JKRowling. Just an FYI there is some strong language at one point. Enjoy:)**

Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace and she looked around the room she was in. It was a large study, most likely Mr. Greengrass's. Hermione knew the name Greengrass, as one of their daughter's was Hermione and Pansy's age, but she had never really had any encounters with her. She had no idea what to expect here, and she didn't know what sort of dinner party this was. Business? Birthday? Friendly get-together?

After scanning the room multiple times, Hermione finally found a door that led her out of the office and into the hallways. She looked both ways before calling out her little sister's name. No answer. She tried again. "Bryony? Anyone? Hello?"

"Hermione, how did you end up out here?" Lysander asked, appearing at her side. He grabbed her arm and led her back into the room and through another door, this one more hidden than the one she had opened.

"How are we suppose to know which doors to use if everything in here is blended to look like the damn wall?" Hermione grumbled as they walked.

Just before they got to another door, Lysander stopped her and looked at her intensely. "I don't know what you've heard about tonight, but its a dinner party for Astoria Greengrass's 14 birthday party. And her _whole_ family is here," he said darkly.

"Okay, that answers my question on what the party is for but now I have to ask why you are saying that so... Somberly... Is the whole family full of Dark Mag-," Hermione started.

"It's not the whole family, the extended family is fine. It's Andrew Greengrass, their older brother. He was in my year at Durmstrang... I've met a shit load of bastards in my life, but none compare to him. He's ruthless, rude, and will basically do _anything_ to get what he wants... Including drugging and using illegal spells, potions, potions ingredients, and you get my point.

"It shouldn't be _too_ bad, as I am your escort for tonight. Just keep your head down, blend into the crowd. I will do everything I can to keep you away from other pureblood supremacists, but if we do happen to run into any let me do the talking," Lysander said as he grabbed her arm. "Are you ready?"

With that, Hermione had no option but to let Lysander drag her through the doors and into a large dining room. Everyone was talking to one another, so no one noticed when Hermione followed Lysander to a round table where Bryony sat alone. "There you two are. I've been sitting here looking like a fool for 7 minutes. I almost got up and sat with Pansy just so the adults would stop giving me pity looks."

"Ahem, ahem, may I have your attention please?" a tall man asked. He looked about Lysander's age, had hard blue eyes and short dirty blonde hair . His robes were tailored to fit him perfectly, and Hermione couldn't deny that he was extremely handsome. "For those of you who do not know who I am, I am Andrew Greengrass. It is both an honor and a privilege to be here with you all today to celebrate our darling sister Astoria's birthday. First of, we will have a filet and baked potato for dinner. Afterwards, we will mingle in the ballroom. Enjoy."

The plates appeared on the table, and everyone began digging in, minus Hermione. When Lysander asked Hermione why she wasn't eating the food, she told him she refused to eat the food created by slaves.

"Hermione, eat the damn food. You will end up passing out from hunger later in the night. Also, don't mention that to others here. I understand it's something you believe strongly in, but we don't want to draw attention to you now, do we?" Lysander said.

Begrudgingly, Hermione ate the food. It was the tastiest steak Hermione had ever eaten. Even though she was full, Hermione wanted more.

Just as Andrew had made the announcement for dinner, he made the announcement to leave the dining room and go to the ballroom. Hermione grabbed onto Lysander's arm tightly, slightly scared she would lose him on the way there. Thankfully, none of that happened.

"Well, this is where everyone mingles and dances. So, basically this is hell. I am suppose to be looking for a suitable bride while making sure to introduce you to the limited number of erhm, for lack of better word, _good_ suitable purebloods. We don't have to worry about Bryony just yet, but she can walk around with us if you want," Lysander whispered in her ear.

"Uhm, first would it be alright if you pointed me in the direction of the powder room?" Hermione whispered back.

"Sure. It's just out the doors we came from, go down past the dining hall. I believe it's the fifth... Maybe seventh door on the right. The sixth one is the men's so don't go in there," Lysander said. "I'll be waiting here, with only Bry to keep me company. Hurry back."

Hermione followed Lysander's instructions and made it to the fifth door on the right. She could hear voices on the inside, but had assumed that maybe a group of women had gone to do touch-ups on their make-up.

Instead, she found a pale blonde teenager arguing with who appeared to be his mother. "Mother, I understand you want to leave. But we can't. We still have our reputation to think about."

"Draco, please. We stayed for supper, how much longer do we have to stay? We have more important things at home to worry about," the woman said quietly.

"Mother, if you wish to leave, you may. I can stay and make sure what's left of our reputation doesn't go to waste," Malfoy said. Quickly, Hermione tried to leave the room, but Malfoy saw her first.

"Mudblood! _What the fucking hell are you doing here?!_" he hissed getting up in her face and grabbing her arm violently. "Draco! Unarm the poor girl now!" Narcissa Malfoy said.

"Malfoy, I was trying to find the bathroom and was told the fifth door down. I'm sorry I disturbed your conversation, I will be on my merry way if you would let go of my arm," Hermione said, trying to keep calm.

"What I want to know, _Mudblood_, is what you are doing at a _pureblood_ party?" Malfoy hissed, tightening his grip on her arm. Narcissa put a gentle hand on the arm Malfoy was using to hold her, and calmly told him to let her explain

"I'm here because I'm Pansy Parkinson's twin sister, Cepheus and Hydra Parkinson's long lost, not dead daughter. Miracle really that my day just keeps getting better and better... Isn't it the _proper_ _pureblood_ thing to do, come to dinner parties when invited?" Hermione snapped. "Now, if you will excuse me, I will be leaving," Hermione said as she pivoted herself away from Malfoy and out of the room.

Hermione opened the seventh door on the right, which thankfully was the ladies room. When she got in there, Pansy was in there, as well as some older women that were talking about how it was a miracle that Cepheus and Hydra were able to find their missing daughter and how they wished to meet her someday. Neither girl acknowledged the other, or made any comments to one another when the ladies asked Pansy about her new sibling. "Oh, you know. It's going to be an adjustment," was all Pansy said.

Hermione made it back to the ballroom without meeting anyone new. She went to look for Lysander and Bryony when a smooth voice behind her said, "Care to dance?" Hermione turned around and saw Andrew Greengrass standing next to her, with his arm out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, fellow readers! Sorry for the late update, I have been very busy lately! I want to thank LittleRedRidingHoody for helping out, as usual:) and all rights go to JK Rowling! Enjoy chapter 9:)**

Hermione looked around the room, hoping to find someone to get her away from Andrew Greengrass. No one. No one she knew was there to help, not even Pansy.

"Come dance with me. What is your name, lovely? It's not everyday a man meets a woman as exquisite as you," Andrew said, laying thick on the charm. He started trying to grab her arm and pull her on to the dance floor. Hermione pulled away

"No, thank you. My name isn't important. I actually need to find someone...," Hermione said quietly, looking around the room again. Where were Lysander and Bryony? Even Pansy was better than this disturbing man.

"Just one dance. One dance is all I ask. I won't ask for anything else... Tonight. Come, people are starting to look our way." It was true, some people were giving them funny looks and Hermione didn't want to draw attention to herself. Reluctantly, Hermione agreed to one dance.

He led her to the floor, where they waltzed in time with everyone. "Calm down, sweetheart. I don't bite... Outside the bedroom," Andrew said, his eyes gleaming mysteriously. Merlin, where was _anyone_ when she needed help getting away from this freak.

"If you will excuse me, I am going to get something to drink," Hermione said, as she released herself from his grip and started walking off the floor quickly.

"Now, now. You promised me one dance. It's considered rude not to follow through with one's promises," Andrew snapped. He grabbed her arm and tried to yank her back on the floor. Hermione wouldn't budge.

"There you are!" Pansy snapped. Hermione and Andrew turned and saw the brown haired girl, glaring at them. Hermione finally had a chance to really see what her twin was wearing. She had on light purple robes and her hair was in curls down her back. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go," Pansy said, grabbing Hermione's arm. Before Andrew or Hermione had a chance to speak, Pansy pulled her away.

"What do you think you are doing? That's _Andrew Greengrass_. I know Lysander told you to stay away from him, so why didn't you? Could you be any more _stupid_?" Pansy whispered into Hermione's ear.

"I was drawing attention to myself. I kept looking around for Lysander or Bryony... Where are we going?" Pansy hadn't stopped yanking Hermione's arm since they left Greengrass.

"Lysander and Bryony couldn't find you and asked me if I had seen you at all. I told them I had seen you in passing at the loo and that you hadn't left too long after me and were probably still at the entrance. When I saw you with Greengrass, I had to get you away... Here we are," Pansy said with a fake smile on her face as they walked around until they found Lysander and Bryony.

"Thank Merlin you found her, Pansy. Where was she? Oh, and do you want a piece of cake? It's red velvet," Bryony asked as she held up two pieces of cake.

"She was dancing with Andrew Greengrass. And no, I do not want a piece of cake," Pansy said. She looked around the room. "I'm making sure that he didn't follow us here."

"_Andrew Greengrass_? Did you not heed my warning at all about him?" Lysander asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "_Please_ tell me Pansy is joking."

"I wish she was too. But I couldn't find you anywhere and he kept asking me to dance, which was drawing attention. You also told me not to draw attention to myself, remember?" Hermione snapped at him.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this touching? You had to abandon _me_ to come see _him_?" Andrew Greengrass drawled from behind them. "Oh, wait. Don't tell me _you're_ the long lost Parkinson daughter?"

"Andrew," Lysander said tightly. "Yes, this is our sister, Hermione. Now, if you would excuse us, we have some family business to take care of."

"Hermione... What an unusual name... We must go finish our dance at some point tonight... Oh look, here come Daphne and Astoria right now," Andrew said lazily as his eyes roamed Hermione. "Astoria, I do hope you are enjoying the party. Daphne, how are you doing?" Andrew spoke to his sisters.

Astoria said she was having a wonderful time at the party and had wanted to thank her older brother again for the wonderful job he had done. "What's the mudblood doing at Tori's party? And why is she talking to Lysander?" Daphne complained once Astoria had left.

Hermione finally snapped. "Lysander is my older brother, and the reason I am here is because I was dragged here with my family. I am _not_ a muggle-born, though there is nothing wrong with having that heritage. Got it?"

"Oh, Hermione. I know you are tired and still not use to some of the changes, but no need to be snappy. It's a party after all, just relax and have fun... Oh, would you look at the time. We should probably get home, as we have a big day tomorrow," Pansy said. She reached her arm over and dug her nails into Hermione's arm.

"Ah, yes. We really should be taking our leave. Daphne, Andrew. Tell Astoria we wish her a happy birthday again," Lysander said as he escorted his sisters out of the ballroom, glancing back every once in while to make sure Andrew nor Daphne followed.

The Parkinson children made it back to the manor without any interruptions, thankfully. Regretfully, Bryony said her goodnights and went to bed, as did Lysander. It was just the twin Parkinson girls left in their father's study. "Let's go to our rooms. I have some things to say to you up there," Pansy said quietly, deadly. They walked slowly, and Hermione was able to get a small feel of direction in the mini castle.

"The next time you see that boy, walk as calmly as you can in any other direction," Pansy said quietly. Hermione didn't need to ask which boy she was talking about. "Be thankful it was me, Lysander, and Bryony that were there to clean up part of the mess you made. There is no doubt in my mind that you won't be getting a tongue lashing from Mother, possibly Father on your behavior. You humiliated us in front of many people. I hope people don't think too less of us now. Why didn't you hold your tongue like I told you to? Did you lash out on anyone else tonight?"

"How do you think I felt, being degraded like that in front of so many people? Would you like it if you found out you were muggle born instead of pureblood, forced to go to some party for a muggle born, and have everyone make derogatory comments about how they thought you were pureblood, or sexist comments? You would completely flip. And yes, I snapped at Malfoy. I saw him while I was trying to find the restroom," Hermione said, tiredly. "Can we please just go to bed?"

"You have a lot to learn about our society, most of it you probably won't like. I'll stick to what I said earlier. You don't understand the honor and responsibility that comes with being a pureblood," Pansy said as Hermione opened her door, walked into her room, and got ready for bed. Hermione slammed her door shut, crawled under her covers, and slept.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, sorry for the long wait! But here is chapter 10:) All rights go to JK Rowling! I'd like to thank the amazing LittleRedRidingHoody for helping me out:) Reviews do help me out a lot, so if there is anything you would like to see, please let me know! I have the basic outline planned out but I could alwasy use extra inspiration! Enjoy chapter 10:)**

Shockingly, Hermione never got a lecture for her behavior at Astoria's birthday party.

The first two weeks at Parkinson Manor were the longest two weeks Hermione could remember. Hydra insisted that Hermione learn their family history, and the ways of proper pureblood women. Apparently, it was tradition in the Parkinson family to be taught these "life skills and knowledge" before first their year, so Bryony was learning alongside Hermione. Hydra trusted the girls enough to let them study alone, so Hermione was able to avoid seeing her throughout the day.

Lysander would join them when Cepheus was gone at work all day, leaving at dawn and arriving just in time for dinner. If Cepheus was at home, Lysander would be looking for a suitable bride and job. He had a habit of venting to his two younger sisters about the impossible standards Cepheus and Hydra set for him. Hermione shuddered at the thought of what they will be like with her and Pansy.

Pansy was a completely different story. She was the thorn in Hermione's side. If Hermione thought their level of tolerance before was low, anytime they were in the same room together without a mediator, all hell broke loose. Pansy, it seemed, would pick fights with Hermione for no logical reason other than to fight. Hermione could tell her stress-level increased when her twin was around, as she could feel it throughout her body.

Whenever Hermione found free time, she would write letters to Harry, Ron and Ginny. She sent about a dozen of them, but hadn't received a letter in return. At first, Hermione hadn't been that concerned as she thought the owls had gotten lost, but now she wasn't so sure. The owls were smart and would surely be able to find the Burrow. Not to mention the fact that it had been two weeks.

"Hermione... Hermione... Hermione! Pay attention, will you? We are supposed to be studying 'How to properly serve a luncheon with only pureblood women'... You don't need to offer coffee to drink, and it's considered rude to ask for coffee," Bryony said, snapping her fingers. She jokingly glared at Hermione and then burst out laughing. "Why... Are... We... Learning... This... Stuff? It won't... Help us... later," Bryony cackled out. Hermione laughed.

"Really, Bryony? You don't want to be proper for when you throw tea parties with her friends?" Hermione asked, controlling her laughter for a moment before the girls burst out laughing again. They were laughing so hard they didn't notice a figure walk in the room.

"Bryony, aren't you suppose to be studying? You wouldn't want to disappoint Mother now, would you?" Pansy said snarked. Hermione snorted at Pansy's "forgetfulness" of her. As if sensing Hermione's thoughts, Pansy turned towards her. "Well, you obviously don't give a damn about disappointing Mother. You keep screwing over Bryony and our family name. That's within the first two weeks of being here. Maybe if you would actually pay attention to this information, we wouldn't be worried about our name."

"My dear, dear, _dear_ Pansy. Take a look at the outside world. The name "Parkinson" isn't holding as much power as it did before. Quite a few of the Sacred 28 names have lost value over the years. But how am I screwing Bryony and our family name over? Bryony and I both learning this together and have grown closer, just like _sisters_ should be. And I've already mentioned the Parkinson family name. Anything else you would like me to clarify with you?" Hermione bit out. Hermione wasn't normally this snarky, but Pansy brought out the worst of her. She tried to calm her stress level down, as she was starting to ache lightly. It proved to be futile.

Pansy glared at the two girls before skulking away. Bryony and Hermione shared at look before Lysander came in, trying to fight back a grin. "Hey, I'm assuming Pansy didn't tell you we are having an early dinner since you are still here. Oh, and she looks mad. What the hell did you guys do?" he said, giving into the grin.

"Hermione flipped shit up!" Bryony exclaimed. Her older brother and sister looked at her for her language. "What?... Oh, sorry. I hear you guys say it and forget that I'm suppose to pretend I don't hear it." Hermione and Lysander quietly laughed.

The three of them made their way to the dining room. "Ly, why are we eating so early?" Bryony asked.

"First off, _Brybry_, don't call me _Ly_. Lysander is my name and I don't need you giving me more embarrassing nicknames. As for dinner, we are having some special guests coming into town. And before you ask; no I don't know who it is," Lysander said. Bryony stuck her tongue out at him when he called her 'Brybry.' "The way those two acted, you would never know they were in the Parkinson family," Hermione thought as they walked. She smiled at the thought.

When they finally arrived at the dining room, there were two people, a man and a woman, talking to Hydra and Cepheus. The lady looked like an older version of Pansy (maybe 20 years old), except with short hair. The man looked to be about 20 years old as well. He wasn't overly handsome with his ridiculously short brown hair and hard brown eyes. "Oh no. Please tell me they aren't here. Why are _they_ here? Why didn't you tell me they were coming?" Bryony pouted.

"I didn't tell you Rosalind and Christophe were coming because I didn't know until now either. All Mother and Father told me was that some important people were coming , so I had enough sense to know it would be them," Lysander said, glancing around. They were safe for a moment before Hydra called them over. "Here goes nothing," Bryony whispered.

"Nicolette, oh I mean Hermione, this is your older sister Rosalind. She and her fiancé have just arrived from France to celebrate your homecoming and to get ready for the wedding. Shall we go in and eat?" Hydra said. She and Cepheus lead the five of them into dining room. Rosalind and Christophe took a seat near Hydra and Cepheus, while Hermione, Bryony, and Lysander took their usual seats. "Hermione, Bryony, have you seen Pansy?" Hydra asked. Hermione didn't notice her twin's absence and neither did Bryony by the looks of it.

"Mother, I am truly sorry I am late. I ran into a er- issue before dinner," Pansy said. She took a seat by Rosalind.

"No worries. Let's eat," Hydra said. Dinner was an awkward affair. Rosalind was observing Hermione all throughout the meal. When she wasn't looking at Hermione, she was talking to Hydra and Pansy. She spoke quietly, but with authority.

When dinner was done, the ladies went into the sitting room while the gentlemen went to Cepheus's study. "Nicolette, how are you transitioning?" Rosalind asked. There wasn't any kindness or malice in her voice, but something about Rosalind unnerved her.

"Rosalind, I go by Hermione if you haven't heard. And I believe I am transitioning okay. It's a huge lifestyle change, I'm sure you are aware of that. I'm taking it day by day," Hermione said with a forced smile.

"Wonderful to hear, _Hermione_," Rosalind said. The tension in the room grew. "How is everyone else doing?" After the others answered that question, Bryony and Hermione talked quietly about books while Hydra, Rosalind, and Pansy talked together.

Around 10, Hydra made the announcement that it was time for bed. "Tomorrow at 9 we are going shopping for bridesmaid robes. After that, we are meeting with some friends of mine and the Greengrass girls for lunch and shopping. Now, off to bed."

Hermione walked with Bryony to the library. The library was on the second floor, as was Bryony's room. After Hermione and Bryony said goodnight, Hermione grabbed a few books from the library that Lysander left out for her and headed to her room on the fourth floor.

Hermione made her way up the stairs to her room when she heard Rosalind and Pansy talking. "Rosie, I don't know how much longer I can deal with her. I've had to deal with her for two weeks and it's been a nightmare. She knows nothing about our society, and the power our name holds. It's outrageous. What should I do?" Pansy snapped. "Ugh, I feel like these walls have ears. Do you want to go to my room to talk?"

"No, I'll be leaving shortly. But Pansy, darling, I know. For Nicolette, it will take time for her to accept her role as a pureblood woman. Give her time, help her understand. As charming as Bryony is, I don't think she fully comprehends yet what that means. Lysander can't help, as he's Lysander. Pansy, _you _need to be the one to show Nicolette what it means to be a proper pureblood woman."

Hermione had had enough eavesdropping and made her way down the hallway. She made herself look surprised to see them there. "Oh, Rosalind, Pansy. I didn't think anyone else would be up this late. Lysander had some books waiting for me at the library, so I went and got them before bed... Good night," Hermione trailed off. She went into her room, grabbed her stuff for a shower, and walked into the bathroom. Before she could hop in the shower, Pansy burst in.

"How much of that conversation did you hear? And don't lie to me! It won't work," Pansy snapped. She was fuming and Hermione could tell it was taking everything she had not to throttle her twin.

"... Enough...," Hermione snapped back. "Now, get out of the bathroom, please. I remember learning proper pureblood women shower, so I should probably do that." The dull ache was coming back, except this time it was slightly more. Hermione didn't think she was more stressed than this morning, but clearly she was.

"I wish you would go back to where you came from. Good luck washing the filth away from 16 years," Pansy seethed. She gave her one last dirty look then left the bathroom with a slam of the door!

Hermione showered and sat down on her bed. It wasn't yet midnight, and she was now wide awake. She grabbed one of her muggle books she snuck in, _Pride and Prejudice_, and she read until she fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey so I want to thank you for your reviews. They helps me become a better writer. With that being said, I want to apologize if I offended anyone in previous chapters. I did not mean that in any way and have gone back and fixed them. Again, I am sorry if I offended anyone and if you catch anything in the future, please PM me. I do my best not to use words/terms that would do that, but I could be meaning them in a different way than they are interpreted. **

**Second, I want to thank LittleRedRidingHoody for all the help I have received!:)**

**Third, all rights go to JK Rowling.**

**Lastly, I know I have been bad with updating. I have become very busy so I am now hoping that I can update(edited) once a month. **

**Please review! Constructive criticism please!:)**

**Enoy!**

Hermione groaned as Mero shook her awake at 6:30 in the morning. "It's too early to be getting up. We aren't leaving until about 9," she mumbled. Hermione had stayed up until 4 in the morning reading.

"Missus Hydra wishes for you to be up earlier. The plan is changed and you is going to breakfast at 8 and then you is going shopping! What would Miss Hermione like to wear today?" Mero asked. He held up two outfits, both dark green, both "too Slytherin" for Hermione's liking. Hermione must've made a face because Mero got an apologetic look on and said, "Before missus asks, these is the only two outfits you can wear today. Missus Hydra said that to Mero."

Hermione groaned, picked the robes that was less green and more modest. It wasn't saying much, since it was very tight and there was still quiet a bit of black lace on the top that revealed far too much for Hermione's liking.

When she was done getting ready, Hermione walked down to Lysander's room to talk and get tips for surviving the day. She knocked on the door, opened it, and called out to her older brother. "My word, Hermione. Why are you bothering me so early?" Lysander said tiredly. His room was messy, which made it hard for Hermione to walk over to his bed.

"How am I supposed to survive a day with Pansy, the Greengrass girls, and some of... _her_ friends?" Hermione bluntly asked. She had been fortunate enough to have avoided Hydra's friends, and Daphne and Astoria when they would come over, but now she couldn't avoid them. The thought of being with them all day with only Bryony to keep her sane made Hermione feel slightly ill.

"Keep quiet, do as your told, don't raise a havoc. Mother's friends probably won't talk to you unless they talk to Mother about possible marriages or something dumb like that. Daphne is annoying, just try and ignore her, and Astoria is just... Well she is like her sister just maybe a tad less extreme. Now will you please leave me alone to sleep?" he grumbled. Hermione muttered a thanks and left.

Hermione made her way to the sitting room and when she arrived she saw that Rosalind, Pansy, Bryony, and five other ladies were already there. "Ah, there you are dear. We were starting to get worried. Are you ready to go?" Hydra asked.

"Yes, I am ready to go," Hermione said as she looked at the ladies' faces. She easily recognized Narcissa Malfoy, Mrs. Greengrass, and the Greengrass daughters. The other two looked somewhat familiar but Hermione had no idea where she would have seen them before.

"Well, let's go then. We have to take.. _limos_, I believe they are called, to Diagon Alley. From there, it won't be a long walk to breakfast. You would think that they would have a much more convenient way to get there, but no! The only access is through _muggle_ London," Hydra said stiffly, leading the way to the front door.

Bryony fell into step with Hermione as they walked out. When they were far enough behind so Hydra or their sisters wouldn't hear, Bryony giggled, "Did Mother really give you the option of wearing _that_ dress? I mean, I know she has bad taste, but that is _really_ bad. It's too... I don't know, it's just too sexy."

Hermione laughed. "I agree, Bryony. I agree. So, who else is with us minus Narcissa Malfoy and the Greengrasses?"

"Isabel Zabini... She has a son who is your age in Slytherin I believe. Blaise," Bryony said back. Hermione nodded; she knew the name and face, but didn't know them personally.

All too soon for Hermione's liking, the ladies were at the limos. Hermione and Bryony shared a quick look before stepping in. Daphne, Pansy, and Astoria had taken seats on one side, so Hermione and Bryony took the other. It was quiet for about ten minutes and Hermione decided that if the other girls were going to be like this, she could deal with them.

"So, Pansy, is Rosie _really_ going to have your twin as her bridesmaid? I mean, I get that she is related to you, but she knows nothing about Rosie or Christophe so it just seems strange to me," Daphne said scathingly. She put a smirk on her face and flipped her blonde hair out of the way before turning to look at Pansy.

"I don't know, nor do I care, Daphne. It's Rosie's wedding so she will do whatever the hell she wants," Pansy snapped.

"Pansy! Why are you so uptight? Is something bothering you?" Astoria asked not unkindly, placing a hand on Pansy's arm. If Astoria were in any house but Slytherin, Hermione would have thought she was being genuine.

"No, Astoria, nothing is bothering me. It's just too early in the morning for useless small talks."

It went quiet again for a few minutes. "So, any ideas on who your parents want you and Nicolette to marry? Mother and Father have mentioned _me_ marrying Lysander and I do hope that happens," Daphne snarked. Astoria chimed on how she hoped she would be the one to Draco Malfoy chose to marry. Hermione's irritation with the Greengrass sisters was growing and growing.

"I go by Hermione, not Nicolette," Hermione snapped while Bryony said, "Lysander would _never_ marry you." Pansy glared at Hermione and Bryony before answering Daphne.

"I haven't been told anything about who Mother and Father want us to marry, but if I had to guess it would be from a family we are close with. We will decide it when it comes around. Now please shut up. You have given me a horrible headache," Pansy sighed while putting her head in her arms. The rest of the ride was silent and uneventful, unless you count the Greengrass sisters glaring at Hermione and Bryony occasionally.

The breakfast place was a quaint but expensive restaurant. The adult women were keeping conversations while the younger ones were still quiet. "Is everything alright? You are awfully quiet and normally you are all 'Chatty-Cathy's,'" Mrs. Greengrass asked.

"Everything is fine, we are just tired. Sorry to have worried you," Hermione said before anyone could speak.

"Oh, Nicolette, why are you so tired?" Hydra asked. Hermione snapped.

"My name is not Nicolette. I am sick and tired of having to correct you on that. My name is Hermione, _Hermione_. I have been living with you for two weeks. No one else seems to have a major problem with it _except you_," Hermione snapped. Hermione and Hydra were glaring daggers at each other.

"Nicol-" Hydra started but Bryony started in saying "She goes by Hermione!"

Everyone else was quiet throughout the whole exchange. The elder ladies kept glancing at each other, probably in shock that any young pureblood woman could behave like that. Rosalind had a look of disbelief on, but for reasons different than those of the adults. Pansy had a look on her face that Hermione couldn't coin, Daphne and Astoria looked amused and shared a smirk, and Bryony was somewhere in between annoyance and amusement.

"Okay, Hermione. Shall we get back to eating?" Hydra asked awkwardly after a few deep breaths. Hermione internally snorted because the horrendous books teaching one how to be a proper pureblood woman probably should have mentioned how to deal with this sort behavior.

The rest of breakfast went without another glitch, at least on Hermione's end. She spent the time talking to Bryony on what she thought about _Pride and Prejudice_, and on her thoughts on Rosalind's wedding. Pansy talked to Daphne and Astoria, though it appeared she didn't want to. A bit later, the mothers seemed to be having a heated discussion about one thing or another.

Normally, Hermione wouldn't care about what the adults were discussing, but they were constantly looking and pointing at her, Pansy, Daphne, and Astoria.

"What do you think they are talking about, Daph?" Astoria asked. She, Daphne, and Pansy had also stopped talking and were beginning to pay attention to their mothers.

"By the way they are talking, I would say marriage. I mean, you and Bryony still have a few years to go before it becomes an overly big deal for you but Pansy, Hermione, and I only have a year and a half before we need to have made a commitment," Daphne exclaimed.

It was quiet again, only small talks being made until the ladies left the restaurant. They walked around Diagon Alley, down alleys, and streets that Hermione hadn't gone down or even seen before. It was strange, when they passed the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Hermione thought that Hydra and Rosalind would be leading them away from the main streets. Hermione felt like maybe it was a way to taunt her. She slowed down, a lot, in order to see if anyone was in there.

"Hermione!" Hermione recognized the voice right away. She turned around, and there Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Harry and Ron looked ready to give her a big hug, while Ginny looked shocked. "Hermione, what are you doing walking with the Parkinsons? What's going on?" Harry asked.

"It's a long, long story. I'm taking it as you haven't been getting my owls?" Hermione asked rather tiredly. She had a feeling this day was going to get worse, and she was seeing the people who always make her feel better.

"No, we haven't been getting them," Ron answered. "Hermione, you're scaring me. Please tell us what's going on."

Just as Hermione was about to explain what happened, Pansy came up to them. "Let's go, Granger. You're needed," Pansy said.

"Go away, Parkinson. You're not wanted here," Ron snapped at her. Harry was quiet, observing the interaction between Hermione and Pansy, and Ginny looked ready to intervene if needed.

"Ron, she is a part of... What happened. Pansy, I'll be there in a minute," Hermione exasperated. She gave Pansy a look, which Pansy returned.

"No. You are needed now. I'll give you thirty seconds to tell them when you can meet them next."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'll meet you guys at the Leaky Cauldron next Thursday around 10 for breakfast, okay? I will explain everything then," Hermione said. Before anyone could reply, Pansy grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her away.

"When will you stop being a pain in the ass to our family?" Pansy snapped.

Hermione replied with a simple, "When they stop being a pain in mine."

The two walked quickly to the shop. When they got there, Pansy lied and said she found Hermione had turned at the wrong street. "Oh, Mother I felt horrible for her. She was standing in front of that ancient divination shop down Winde looking so confused! Thankfully I was able to find her before she wandered off more." Hermione, shocked as she was that Pansy was helping her out, played along. She figured she shouldn't be as shocked as she was because Pansy would do whatever it took to make the morning go by smoothly.

"Oh, good. I wouldn't want her to go missing while we were looking for the bridesmaid robes," Rosie said. She tried to sound sincere but Hermione could tell it was anything but that. "How about you pair up and see what sorts of robes are offered here. I have an idea of what I want, but I want to see if there is anything...better here."

Hermione raised an eyebrow and found Bryony. They wandered around the little store, looking at the robes. Some were rather gorgeous, Hermione had to admit, but she wouldn't wear any of them willingly. They seemed too fancy for weddings even. Bryony agreed. "It's like, the bridesmaids aren't suppose to outshine the bride, are they?"

"Hey, Bry, why are the Greengrass girls with us if they aren't bridesmaids? And why are they so hung up on the wedding? It's not like its their brother or someone like that who's getting married. It's their family friend's daughter," Hermione asked as she held up a blue robe. It was frilly and had way too many different shades of blue. Hermione put in down instantly.

"Uhm, because Mother wants them to be in the wedding I think. Since the families are so close, the Greengrasses feel they have that right but they don't. In the end, it is Rosalind's wedding so it's her choice. It will just... irritate the Greengrasses," Bryony replied. "That blue dress was hideous. Why would you even consider picking it up?"

Hermione laughed quietly. "I have no clue. What is she even looking for? Like color and style wise?"

"Pink, purple, frilly probably. Obnoxious. Basically anything that would match her annoying personality."

"Wow, you are harsh... This one?" Hermione replied, holding up a pink dress with purple swirls. It was slightly frilly, and it could be considered cute. Hermione figured that it would be Rosie's taste if it was not hers.

"Maybe. Maybe not. You could show it to her and see if she likes it," Bryony shrugged.

Hermione looked back at it and walked over to Rosalind was, along with Hydra and Narcissa. "Rosalind, what are your thoughts on this dress?" Rosalind looked the dress up and down.

"It's... lovely. I will keep that in the back of my mind. Give it here," Rosalind said. She took the dress and handed it over to one of the older women working there. "Put this in the back with my stuff. There, now I won't forget about it. Go look for more dresses."

Hermione nodded her head. She went back and looked for more dresses. While Hermione was doing that, she could feel someone looking at her. She looked around and saw Narcissa Malfoy observing her. Hermione stared at her, willing her to make some sort of move. She never did.

"Hermione, come on. We're heading home now," Bryony said, tearing Hermione from her thoughts. Hermione glanced over at Bryony, and when Hermione looked back to where Narcissa had been, she had vanished. Odd.

"Did she end up choosing a bridesmaid dress?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, but probably not. I think there was another bridal shop near her house in France she likes, so she may be looking there as well," Bryony replied. Hermione nodded in understanding.

The limo ride back was quiet, but not like before. There was something in the air that made it a twinge uncomfortable, and the fact that everyone seemed to be ignoring it made it even more uncomfortable.

Before anyone could ask her about her day, Hermione made her way up to her room. It had been a very odd day, an odd day indeed. She took off the hideous robes she was wearing and put on her sweat pants, that she snuck in with her bag, climbed into her cozy bed, and planned to sleep until dinner.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys! I'm so sorry it has been so long!

I have been sitting down, trying to write and I have noticed I have sort of come to a stand still in Dark House. I am having a hard time trying to move the plot, and connect with the characters. With that ring said, I have also started writing my own story and I have been putting my time and effort into that story.

I have come to the decision that I will be putting Dark House on hiatus. Somewhere in the future, I do plan on finishing up Dark House, I'm just not sure when. I also plan on writing/finishing all of Dark House before I start publishing again.

Thank you for the amazing support you have shown me. Thank you so much for understanding! Again, I am sorry it has been so long! You guys rock:)


End file.
